Tape moistening device



Sept. 4, 193 E. H. MANVELL 1,972,561

TAPE MOISTENING DEVICE Filed Feb. 4. 19 31 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I a! I ATTORNEY application for United Patented Sept 4, 1934 PATENT TAPE MOISTENING DEVICE Edwin H. Manvell, Brooklyn, N. Y., assig nor to Edwin H. Manvell, Brooklyn, N. Y., and Louis Casper, Richmond Hill, N. Y.

Application February 4, 1931, Serial No. 513,286

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in the art of moistening and affixing gummed paper tape upon. paper, cardboard, or'similar surfaces; and is also adaptable for use in connection with moistening and affixing gummed. paper tape upon telegraph message blanks or the like in connection with the operation of telegraph printers. I

This-invention isials'o "an improvement on my States patent now pending of' the same class, Serial No. 357,374, filed April 23rd, 1929, to which this application is sub-.

ject.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective hand operated device whereby paper tapes that havev been previously gummed may be moistened and afilxed upon paper blanks or the like; and this is accomplished without recourse to felt or other. wicks and requiring a miniv mum of maintenance which is not thexcase with moisteners of this class that employ wicks or felts as amoistening', medium. 1

As a further description of my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view on a line 1-1 of Fig. 2 of the moistening and affixing device showing the paper tape a fed through from one end of the device to the other.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section view of the device on a line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing particularly a blind recess 26 acting as a water trap, and the channel 15 which provides a passage from the bottle 10 3. 1 to the moistening wheel recess or well 17 through openings 16.

Fig. 4 shows the method of threading the paper tape a laterally into the device.

Fig. 5 is a detail drawing showing a paper reel attached to said device.

Fig. 6 is a detail of the reel holder showing the method of attaching the reel 0 to the rear of the tape moistening device.

In all of the foregoing views corresponding parts are represented by the same numerals of reference.

10 is preferably semi-translucent receptacle closed at one end for holding water or liquids. This receptacle may also hold a thin liquid glue .51! in which case the paper tape a is not gummed beforehand. Y

11 is a screw thread on to which the moistening head 12 is aflixed. 44 is a rubber gasket aflixed around the moistening head which is used to prevent leakage of the water or other liquid through the aforementioned thread. 13 is a'liquid holding cavity in the vheadlZ. The feed channel15 is so placed. that the liquid feed from the bottle 10 may be through the recess 26. 16, are two small openings which alternately act as liquid feeders 60 and air breathers into the wheel recess or well- 1'7. 18 is the moistening .wheel which is made of special insulating material and which readily takes up the liquidfiowing into the wheel recess or well 17.

' By referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be noted that the contour of the well 1'7 conforms to the shape of the. lower half of the roller 18. A comparatively small space is permitted for the liquid between the roller and the walls of the well. This construction is an aidin the efiicient control of the volume of liquid coming into the well through the feed holes 16 as the wheel revolves therein. This will be further de scribed hereinafter. y

19 is the pivot pin of the moistening wheel 13. 20 is a retaining spring for the. pivot 19. 21 is the channel shaped nose ofthemoistener head 12. 22 is a fixed guide spool secured on one side with a cutaway side 21 on'the opposite side through which the tape a may be. slid between the ends of the guide spool 22 and restingon guide groove 24. The tape a when slipped into position is prevented from slipping out sideways by reason of theflange of spool 22.: 23 is: a wire loop acting as a guideforthe-tape a. 7 25 is a friction plate upon whi h the tape a rests and is held in resilient pressure by pressure shoe 39 which is secured to tape lifting member 38 that terminates in a thumb piece 41. The tape lifting member swings on pivot 42 around which I is a coiled spring 43 that holds the member 38 in a normally downward position, and also holding the tape shoe 39 against the tape a on friction plate 25. The pivot 43 and supported assembly are held in position by support 3'7. 40 is a wire guide over which the tape a is secured. This enables the tape to be lifted clear of the gumming or moistening wheel 18 when the member 38 is pressed at its terminal thumb piece 41 and against coiled spring 43.

is a tape tube secured to the receptable or bottle 10 by means of two flexible clips 32, 32 which is attached to said tape tube. 31 is a tape channel slotted at one side from end to end to 1 5 permit the tape a to he slipped into the tape tube 1 30 laterally or parallel-wise. The side wall 0f the tape channel 30 is slightly curved or slanted inwardly so that when the tape a is placed in said tape channel the tape cannot slip out laterally being held in position because of the curved edge aforesaid. The wall above the slotted side is provided with an overhanging lip 36. It can be readily seen that the foregoing method of threading the tape into the device is applicable to moisteners using felt wicks.

is a tape reel bracket with curved ends as shown at 54 the latter being secured to clamp spring 33. 51 are tape reel support arms with tape wheel axle 52 over which the tape roller 0 revolves. The tape reel support is secured to legs 53.

The tape reel assembly is preferably appliedwhen the moistener is used for sealing packages or the like. In that case the assembly is fitted on as described and the paper tape is passed from the reel 0, unwound at b and fed into the tape groove 30. r

The operation of the device is as follows: The tape a is first fed into the device. This is accomplished easily and rapidly by the device being held in the left hand, and the tape a grasped in the righthand in the manner shown in Fig. 4. At the same time that the left hand is holding the device, the thumb of the left hand also presses against the tape lifting member 38 at 41. This raises the lifter clear of the friction plate 25. The tape a is then slipped laterally or parallelwise into the device beginning at the rear end of the tape groove as shown, then on to the friction plate 25, (but over .the guide wire 40,) over the moistening wheel 18 and then finally slipping the paper take into the cutaway side opening 21 under the guide spool 22. The tape is I then ready to be drawn through the device which action moistens the tape and it is then afiixed upon a surface whetherit be paper, cardboard or other material upon which tape can be adhered to. As the tape is being pulled lengthwise through the device the moistening wheel turns which draws the Water from the-well 17 upon its periphery. This drains a. portion of' the water from the well because the water film collected on the periphery of the wheel is taken up on moistening the under portion of the paper tape. The fall of liquid level in the well because of the foregoing exposes the upper feed hole 16 leading into the well. When this occurs and the device is held inits normal horizontal position, more liquid will flow into the well and continues .to flow until both feed holes are covered. Alsowhen this occurs no more waterwill flow into the well until the periphery of the moistening' wheel 17 (when it is being revolved by the drawing out of the paper tape) will pick up more liquid out of the well which will again reduce the volume of water therein and the same process of liquid feed into the well starts afresh and in the manner described. The faster the moistening wheel is revolved, thexfaster the liduiddrain from the well and correspondingly the faster is the flow from the liquid reservoir or auxiliary water trap into the Well. This is as it should be, the faster the tape is being fed through the moistener, the greater is the need of water supply on the periphery of the moistening wheel and the slower the speed of tape travel, the less water supply is needed. It will thus be seen that the liquid film upon the periphery of the moistening wheel is maintained consistently the same whether the wheel operates faster or slower. There being two openings, one of them allows the water to feed through and the other acts as a breather? withoutvwhich the liquid flow would be uncertain. The normal manner in holding the moistening device is to hold the head 12 downward upon the object to'which the tape a is to be affixed. holding the tape with'the left hand and drawing the device to the right with the right hand. This insures a regular and steady liquid supply from the receptacle or bottle '10 as long as liquid is contained in the latter. 1

If, however, the operator of the device should lift it temporarily in an upward position the recess 26 having been filled by the initial holding oi the device in its downward and correctposition, the liquid supply will flow from the recess 26 and furnish the necessary liquid supply until theoporator resumes holding the moistening device in the correct position. v

Now, having described my invention,;v what I claim as new is, .In a tape moistening device comprising a liquid reservoir handle having a tape moistening means at one end thereof, a tape guideextending longitudinally of said handle, said tape guide being formed substantially rectangular in cross section andhaving a slot formedin one side wall extending from endto end thereof, said side wall providing an inwardly slanting flange below said slot to prevent the accidental'escape of said tape from said guide.

.. EDWIN H.MANVELL; 

